Shutdowns could place Pilgrim nuclear plant with underperformers

Mechanical problems and multiple shutdowns have forced the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station off line 72 days this year, raising concerns about the 685-megawatt nuclear plant and the possibility of increased scrutiny by federal regulators.

By Chris Burrell

The Herald News, Fall River, MA

By Chris Burrell

Posted Sep. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 28, 2013 at 11:39 PM

By Chris Burrell

Posted Sep. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 28, 2013 at 11:39 PM

PLYMOUTH

» Social News

Mechanical problems and multiple shutdowns have forced the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station off-line 72 days this year, raising concerns about the 685-megawatt nuclear plant and the possibility of increased scrutiny by federal regulators.

A director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week that an unplanned shutdown of Pilgrim recently is likely to trigger new inspections of the plant and push Pilgrim into a small group of just five other nuclear plants in the U.S. deemed under-performers by the NRC.

“There’s a scram that occurred three weeks ago that we are looking into,” said Darrell Roberts, director of the NRC Region I Division of Reactor Projects in King of Prussia, Pa.. “It could very well trip that (performance) indicator.” The scram, which is a rapid shutdown, occurred on Sept. 8 hen the plant's feed water system developed a small steam leak.

Roberts is quick to point out that none of the troubles at Pilgrim have posed safety risks, and Entergy Corp. – the Louisiana company that operates Pilgrim and 10 other nuclear plants in the U.S. – says that 46 days Pilgrim was offline this year were due to a planned refueling of the plant last spring.

The February blizzard crippled power transmission lines and caused a 7-day shutdown at Pilgrim. Electrical problems with pumps that supply cooling water to the reactor core were responsible for other unplanned shutdowns.

But the timing of so many shutdowns at Pilgrim also coincides with Entergy’s decision in August to close down its Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, citing maintenance costs and low wholesale energy prices. Vermont Yankee, which will be decommissioned next year, and Pilgrim, are both single-unit plants with boiling water reactors of similar design and containment system.

The pairing of events worries Mathew Muratore, the chairman of Plymouth’s board of selectmen.

“Anytime they have to shut down, it’s somewhat concerning. We’ve noticed it happening more and more, and I wonder if it’s the age of the plant,” Muratore said.

Pilgrim was re-licensed last year for another 20 years, but Muratore is skeptical about the nuclear plant’s future.

“When the plant does close – and it’s not a matter of if, it’s when – it’s going to have a financial impact on this town. It may not be 20 years. It may be as few as five to ten years the way the economy is with nuclear energy. It’s a depressed market … You see Vermont (Yankee) closing, and you see some of the signs. You don’t know.”

Page 2 of 3 - Entergy officials said that the company has invested $500 million in upgrades to Pilgrim and that Pilgrim is slightly larger than Vermont Yankee and located in a power market with greater demand. But Muratore would like to see Entergy communicate better with the town about shutdowns.

“Us common people don’t understand a lot of this and a shutdown makes people a little nervous,” he said. Dave Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer and the director of nuclear safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said nuclear power plants that repeatedly shut down or operate at reduced power can indicate problems.

“Pilgrim may rack up enough unplanned power reductions to cross the (NRC) Green/White threshold,” said Lochbaum.

White is a lower rating category devised by federal regulators. Lochbaum said that only one other nuclear reactor in the U.S. has been given that lower color rating by the NRC – Entergy-owned FitzPatrick Nuclear Station in upstate New York, which has a similar design to Pilgrim and Vermont Yankee. Regional and more local critics of nuclear power have sized up recent events at Pilgrim and Vermont Yankee and argue that Entergy now lacks the financial strength to operate three of its plants, including Pilgrim.

Pilgrim Watch, which is run by Mary Lampert of Duxbury, along with a consortium of other activists, has petitioned the NRC to investigate whether Entergy meets minimum financial requirements to operate Pilgrim.

Sen. Edward Markey, a longtime critic of Pilgrim, said in a statement that the increasing number of unplanned shutdowns “serve as a major warning sign about its long-term prognosis.

“The NRC should be prescribing extra safety measures for Pilgrim in order to protect its operational health and safety,” Markey said.

Operators this year have decided to close down permanently five nuclear reactors, the highest-ever in one year.

Bloomberg News reported last month that downsizing of America’s nuclear plants from 104 to 99 is also influenced by Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which triggered stricter regulations and higher maintenance costs.

Entergy’s prognosis for Pilgrim?

“Entergy has not made any decisions to shut down any of its other merchant nuclear facilities,” officials said in a written response to questions.

Muratore isn’t so convinced.

“As a town we can’t act as if we’ve got 18 to 19 years left (with Pilgrim),” he said. “We can’t plan that way.”